Short Stories - 1950s

City of the Dead
G. M. MartinAmazing Stories (January 1950)"They called Launn a city of the dead. Its Martian peoples lay frozen in their tracks. But were they really dead—or only asleep?"

Dear Devil
Eric Frank Russell

Other Worlds Science Stories (May 1950)

A near lifeless Earth is visited by hideous aliens. One visitor, a Martian artist, stays behind and befriends a group of children. Cover Art!

Coffins to Mars

Raymond Z. Gallun

Thrilling Wonder Stories (June 1950)

On an overpopulated Earth, what do you do with the rejuvenated elderly, in part to keep them away from intergenerational resentments? Ship them to Mars, where, after complaints and hardships, they start constructive new lives.

"Iceland was the perfect place for a secret military operation. We thought of it, but so had the Martians—ages ago..."

The Crowded Colony
Jerome BixbyPlanet Stories (Fall 1950)"Oh, how decadent these Martians were! Burke, Barnes and the rest of the conquerors laughed loudly at the dusty shrines, those crude and homely temples in the desert. More softly laughed the Martians, who dreamed of laughing last..."

Seven Came Back
Clifford D. SimakAmazing Stories (October 1950)Fantastic (May 1966)
“So it was, so it must be with the myth that told about the great and glowing city that had stood above all other things of Mars—a city that was known to the far ends of the planet.” Later published as Mirage.

“With better space ships, exploration of other worlds brings more unpredictable hazards of mystery and death.”

Black Amazon of Mars
Leigh BrackettPlanet Stories (March 1951)"Grimly Eric John Stark slogged toward that ancient Martian city—with every step he cursed the talisman of Ban Cruach that flamed in his blood-stained belt. Behind him screamed the hordes of Ciaran, hungering for that magic jewel—ahead lay the dread abode of the Ice Creatures—at his side stalked the whispering spectre of Ban Cruach, urging him on to a battle Stark knew he must lose!"

"Bold and ruthless, he was famed throughout the System as a big-game hunter. From the firedrakes of Mercury to the ice-crawlers of Pluto, he'd slain them all. But his trophy-room lacked one item; and now Riordan swore he'd bag the forbidden game that roamed the red deserts... a Martian!"

“Men who are isolated in lonely places can and do crack-up. At least, for them, the radio remains some sort of communication with their home bases. But what of the man isolated in some mining or expeditionary base on some other more desolate world?”

A war has sterilized all human females on Earth. An expedition is mounted to Mars in the hopes of finding humanoid females there who are interfertile. The members of the crew, which includes the “Lady Killer,” find Martians who initially look like the covers of science fiction magazines, then appear to be beautiful women. In reality, the Martians are blobs who can project their thoughts.

The Last Days of Shandakor

Leigh Brackett

Startling Stories (April 1952)

"An Earthman finds love and tragedy in a long-dead city of ancient Mars that denies death."

"It was junk they hunted, but enormously valuable and urgently needed junk that cost only bravery and the cheapest fuel ... yet they were kept from collecting it by an even cheaper lie!"

Translator's Error
Charles DyeDynamic Science Fiction (December 1952)"It was a perfectly natural mistake for men to make; the mural extended the full length of the hall, depicting scenes of the old Martian civilization."

"Women of earth had finally attained their objective: a new world all their own and—without men! But was it?"

Earth is the Evening Star

Robert Sherman Townes

Startling Stories (April 1953)

Passable Bradbury imitation, about the first Earthmen on Mars and how they solved the mystery of the strange immortal city with no inhabitants.

Turnover Point
Alfred CoppelAmazing Stories (April-May 1953)"Every era in history has had its Pop Ganlon's. Along in years and not successful and not caring much anyway. A matter of living out their years, following an obscure path to oblivion. It was that way in ancient Egypt, just as it will be when the Solar System shrinks to our size. And once in a while such men are given an opportunity to contribute to the society that has forgotten them..."

Set partially in Marsport on the Red Planet, a father avenges the murder of his son, a policeman.

Mars Confidential
Jack LaitAmazing Stories (April-May 1953)"Here is history's biggest news scoop! Those intrepid reporters Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer, whose best-selling exposes of life's seamy side from New York to Medicine Hat have made them famous, here strip away the veil of millions of miles to bring you the lowdown on our sister planet. It is an amazing account of vice and violence, of virtues and victims, told in vivid, jet-speed style. Here you'll learn why Mars is called the Red Planet, the part the Mafia plays in her undoing, the rape and rapine that has made this heavenly body the cesspool of the Universe. In other words, this is Mars—Confidential!"

Legacy from Mars

Raymond Z. Gallun

Science Fiction Adventures (July 1953)

A semi-serious “fish story” spoof, featuring a whimsically charming pair of goldfish-like creatures, Marty and Martia, from the polar regions of arid Mars, a young Greek who plays the harmonica, two old spacemen, the daughter of one, and a villainous tomcat.

"It's a funny thing, but most monsters seem to be of the opinion that it's men who are the monsters. You know, they have a point." A first encounter yarn. A non-humanoid infant Martian is found encased in a mudball aboard a crashed spacecraft. Amid much wary speculation and nervously extreme precautions about the hazard he might pose, he is carefully and experimentally raised on Earth, and accompanies the first Earth expedition to the Red Planet.

"Never underestimate the power of a woman, they told him. But when he found the bedraggled waif stowed away on the little miserable ship to Mars, he knew what was waiting for her out there. And he knew she’d underestimated a lot of things."

“The Vanyans came from outer space bringing Earthmen invaluable gifts, and Earth received them — and their gifts — with open arms. But what was behind it all? What would the Vanyans ask in payment? With these questions came fear ... and distrust ... and hatred.” Very human story of a man and woman from different worlds whose love, and lives, were put to the test when each was forced to betray each other to save their own world from peril!

“For untold millennia the virus had drifted over the arid wasteland of Mars, knowing that it was the only sentient life on the planet. Until one day, when shock waves and a blast of welcome heat deposited a cylinder of gleaming metal, towering in the desert...”

The Record of Currupira
Robert AbernathyFantastic Universe (January 1954)"This story contains what is, to us, at any rate, a novel idea—that when we of Earth finally reach Mars we may find there records of prehistoric Earth far surpassing those of our paleontologists. Or, in other words, that creatures of Mars may have visited this planet tens of thousands of years ago and returned home with specimens for their science. A nice idea well told."

The Holes Around Mars
Jerome BixbyGalaxy Science Fiction (January 1954)"Science said it could not be, but there it was. And whoosh—look out—here it is again!"

The Crystal Crypt
Philip K. DickPlanet Stories (January 1954)"Stark terror ruled the Inner-Flight ship on that last Mars-Terra run. For the black-clad Leiters were on the prowl ... and the grim red planet was not far behind."

The Man the Martians Made
Frank Belknap LongFantastic Universe (January 1954)"No mortal had ever seen the Martians, but they had heard their whisperings—without knowing the terrible secret they kept hidden."

"The good Martian Samaritans rescued Johnny Love and offered him "the stars". Now, maybe, Johnny didn't look closely enough into the "gift horse's" mouth, but there were others who did ... and found therein the answer to life...."

$1,000 a Plate
Jack McKentyGalaxy (October 1954)"When Marsy Gras shot off its skyrockets, Mars Observatory gave it the works--fireworks!"

The Hitch Hikers
Vernon L. McCainIf: Worlds of Science Fiction (November 1954)"The Rell, a great and ancient Martian race, faced extinction when all moisture was swept from their planet. Then, one day, a lone visitor—a strange, two-legged creature composed mostly of water—landed on Mars..." The Rell, a great and ancient Martian race, are faced with extinction when all moisture is swept from the planet and their canals run dry.

Hagerty’s Enzymes
A. L. HaleyPlanet Stories (Spring 1955)"There's a place for every man and a man for every place, but on robot-harried Mars the situation was just a little different."

Alien Equivalent
Richard R. SmithPlanet Stories (Summer 1955)"Martians were weak, sensitive, a dying race, frail and impotent before the superiority of master Earthmen. Only in the sly and mentally skillful game of Duchal might sons of the red planet emerge gloriously from their shells."

The Beast-Jewel of Mars
V. E. ThiessenPlanet Stories (Spring 1955)"The city was strange, fantastic, beautiful. He'd never been there before, yet already he was a fabulous legend—a dire, hateful legend."

Shock Absorber
E. G. von WaldAstounding Science Fiction (June 1955)"A man acts on what he believes the facts are, not on the facts. He lives or dies by what the facts are. Now sometimes you don't have time to correct a man's beliefs, yet he must act correctly...."

"Mars is where I belong. With my friends, Tars Tarkas the great Green Jeddak, and Carter, the Warlord, and all the beautiful brave people." Slightly different version than the story published in Galaxy Science Fiction (October 1960).

The Man Who Hated Mars
Gordon Randall GarrettAmazing Stories (September 1956)"To escape from Mars, all Clayton had to do was the impossible. Break out of a crack-proof exile camp—get onto a ship that couldn't be boarded—smash through an impenetrable wall of steel. Perhaps he could do all these things, but he discovered that Mars did evil things to men; that he wasn't even Clayton any more. He was only—The Man Who Hated Mars."

Omnilingual
H. Beam PiperAstounding Science Fiction (February 1957)"To translate writings, you need a key to the code—and if the last writer of Martian died forty thousand years before the first writer of Earth was born ... how could the Martian be translated...?" Linguist Martha Dane and her team of scientists on the Red Planet try to decipher the language of a dead Martian civilization.

The Next Time We Die
Robert Moore WilliamsAmazing Stories (February 1957)"We journey to far places, driven on by ideals. We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile. But are we right? Are they worth being killed over? Perhaps. Then again, maybe we'll know better—The Next Time We Die."

"Most people suspected he was a spaceman -- even though his wife insisted he couldn’t be!"

I Like Martian Music
Charles E. FritchFantastic Universe (September 1957)"Longtree played. His features relaxed into a gentle smile of happiness and his body turned a bright red orange... There have been a number of interesting theories advanced about life on Mars, but few have equalled Charles Fritch's intriguing picture of the world of Longtree and Channeljumper in its infinite variations, tonal and thematic. The Mars of these two is an old culture, old and finite."

I'm in Marsport without Hilda

Isaac Asimov

Venture Science Fiction Magazine (November 1957)

“Drifting through low gravity in a sea of jasmine perfume with Flora -- my plan for the evening ... Breaking up a trillion-dollar drug-menace deal -- the Service's plan for my evening ... Said in Spaceoline: To hell with Service is lovely.”

What’s He Doing in There?
Fritz LeiberGalaxy Science Fiction (December 1957)"He went where no Martian ever went before—but would he come out—or had he gone for good?"

Moment of Truth
Basil WellsFantastic Universe (December 1957)"Beyond the false windows she could see the reddish wasteland where dust clouds spun and shifted so slowly... Basil Wells, who lives in Pennsylvania, has been doing research concerning life in the area during the period prior to and following the War of 1812. Here he turns to a different problem—the adjustment demanded of a pioneer woman, not in those days but Tomorrow—on Mars."

Ministering Angels
C. S. Lewis

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (January 1958)

Two women volunteer to bring sexual solace to a team of male scientists on Mars.

Arm of the Law
Harry HarrisonFantastic Universe (August 1958)"At one time—this was before the Robot Restriction Laws—they'd even allowed them to make their own decisions...." How could a robot—a machine, after all—be involved in something like law application and violence? Harry Harrison, who will be remembered for his Trainee for Mars (June 1958) tells what happens when a police robot hits an outpost on Mars.

The Hated
Frederik PohlGalaxy Science Fiction (January 1958)"After space, there was always one more river to cross ... the far side of hatred and murder!"

Nine Shadows at Doomsday
S. M. TenneshawSpace Travel (November 1958)"Centuries before something had destroyed life in the solar system. That portion of space was now off limits—but not for a hunted man..." A space outlaw and two academics from the Alphanus Historical Foundation undertake a secret expedition to Thor Peak on the distant and forbidden planet of Mars to find out what eradicated life in the desolate Sol system three thousand years before.

Science of Mars

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"I'm an optimist. I discard all such dark tomorrows. I have faith in man as God and God as man; I believe we'll be immortal, seed the stars and live forever in the flesh of our children. That's my job as a writer -- to show man his basic goodness, to dramatize his struggle up and away from this planet." -- Ray Bradbury